Katie Driver

A workshop table strewn with resources, sticky notes, pens and suchlike. The hands of some of the participants are in shot, as they discuss things with each other.

Relieved and pleased to have successfully delivered a workshop on Learning Experience design together with @jocarter.bsky.social at today's #SDinGov We had a really lovely engaged, reflective group of folks, just like the Conference as a whole. Great few days - brain now officially full!

Image shows Katie on a train smiling at the camera as the scenery whizzes past.

En route to Edinburgh for my first Service Design in Gov conference. Come say hi 👋 esp if it's your first too! Also, if you're there on Friday I'm co-delivering 'No More Content Vomit' with @jocarter.bsky.social showing how to use SD tools and approaches to create great training! #SDinGov2025

Great to meet you today. My head is officially full!

Four large pinboards standing in the atrium of the building, covered with a grid of large sticky notes, each summarising a pitch for a Gov Camp session.

So much to digest from #ukgovcamp25 today on so many levels: people, process, content. Mostly people though: so many great folk with so many great ideas and experiences, and so much potential. Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome at my first GovCamp and I feel sure it won't be my last!

Delegates in an atrium sitting on chairs facing the screen with the GovCamp logo. Some people are raising their hands.

It's about to begin! #ukgovcamp25

Sessions @UKGovCamp

Coming to #ukgc25 on Saturday? Thinking of pitching a session?

For inspiration, have a look at the historic session grid via bit.ly/ukgovcamp.

You can also watch the UKGovCamp 2023 short video youtu.be/M1hD_Dyb8Zg or for a blast from the past the 2014 pitches www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqSo...

Interesting read about the challenges and options when upgrading services alongside legacy systems.

Happy Friday.

Researcher | Institute for Government We are inviting applications for researchers, to start as soon as notice periods allow.

Fantastic opportunity to join the @instituteforgov.bsky.social as a researcher - please flag to all the brilliant people you know! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/about-us/car...

Katie Driver on LinkedIn: Bobbles underfoot. And a yellow line. And then the white line on the edge.… | 15 comments Bobbles underfoot. And a yellow line. And then the white line on the edge. Not one, not two, but three warning signs that alert us to the edge of the… | 15 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com/posts/kjdriv... Some musings on warning signs and what happens if we ignore them.

Another thought on all the 'blob-bashing' chatter. Pleased to see McFadden swerve Labour away from the culture war but...

There is an important distinction between *not criticising* your staff and *enthusing and inspiring them*.

Politics vs Policy The paralysis of technocratic government in a populist age

New post just out:

"Policy vs Politics: the paralysis of technocratic government in a populist age"

Why Labour is getting stuck on identifying an approach to governing.

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/p...

It certainly hasn't been his best move.

Katie Driver on LinkedIn: Starmer and Dominic Cummings now agree on one thing - the civil service is… *Sigh* As ever, it's a lot more complicated than it seems. I'm not going to start unpacking that box today. Instead, I simply want to say thank you…

Thank you to my former civil service colleagues and current civil service clients for continuing to work hard to make a real difference, notwithstanding the circumstances.

www.linkedin.com/posts/kjdriv...

I was pondering what to say in response to the criticism of the civil service - along the lines of 'er, it's a lot more complicated than that...' but @acjsissons.bsky.social has done a far better job than I'd have managed so please read his 🧵 instead 👇

🙋‍♀️ I'll be there, and delighted that you will be too!

Katie Driver on LinkedIn: You have a 1000 piece jigsaw. But you only have time to place 200… You have a 1000 piece jigsaw. But you only have time to place 200 pieces. You could scatter them around. 10 connected here, 20 connected there, and so on.…

I post most weekdays on LinkedIn. Here's today's musings.
www.linkedin.com/posts/kjdriv...

Also going for the first time, so here for the tips as well!

Adding this to my podcast queue...

Updating design skills in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework How and why heads of design across government came together to update the design skills in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.

Good to know that the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (previously, and as far as I can tell still continually referred to as, the DDaT framework) is being continually iterated.

designnotes.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/03/u...

If you’re afraid that books might change someone’s thinking, you’re not afraid of books, you’re afraid of thinking.

Screenshot of an Eventbrite email for UK Gov Camp 2025 saying 'Katie, you've got tickets!'

Yay! Looking forward to this in the new year - soooo much to learn, and I hope I'll have things to share as well.

Great to be at the launch last night of @tomjonbrown.bsky.social 's first book The Mind of the Minister. Lots of nuggets from interviews with former Ministers and Perm Secs which I'm looking forward to reading!

Advent birds from @levparikian.bsky.social Far better than cheap chocolates behind a cardboard window.

Good points. Thanks Brenor.

Yes, it would certainly be better not to have car parks in the first place! As to the economics/efficiency, happy to stand corrected. It simply sounded sensible to go for dual use rather than use virgin land or land that's needed for other things, but these things are never as simple as they seem.

France Wants To Cover All Large Car Parks With Solar Panels The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape glob...

www.weforum.org/videos/franc...

What a great idea - put solar panels over car parks, rather than using agricultural or forested land.

This looks handy. I'm gradually settling in here and it's good to see folks laying out the welcome mats and showing us where to find the tea and biscuits.

Worth a read. One of the areas where services don't recognise and work with the reality of people's lives.

TransformGov Talks : Second event · Luma For our second event we have Simon Manby and Holly Simpson from the MoJ speaking about digital and policy teams working together. Also Isadora Schappell and…

🚨 NEXT THURSDAY AT 6PM 🚨

It's @transformgovtalks.bsky.social #2, with:
- @cthimon.bsky.social & Holly Simpson, MoJ, on product development/policy/digital
- Isadora Schappell & Anna Goulden, @ucl-iipp.bsky.social
, on missions & capability

Join us in person at MoJ, or online! lu.ma/4gdplw35